Packet data traffic can occur as a random sequence of transmit and receive time periods of active data transfer interspersed with periods of silence. To minimize delay when transmitting and/or receiving packet data traffic, the UE can monitor downlink control signals in each subframe in order to receive uplink grants or downlink data transmissions and to react to changes in the packet data traffic's behavior. However, such monitoring and responsiveness can come at a cost in terms of power consumption by the UE. To reduce power consumption by the UE, LTE wireless communication protocols specify discontinuous reception (DRX) modes of operation. Using a DRX mode, the UE can “sleep” for periods of time, neither transmitting nor receiving while “sleeping,” and thereby preserve battery life. DRX modes can apply to operation of the UE in two different states, namely in an “Idle” state and in a “Connected” state. In the Idle state, operating in a DRX mode can increase battery life of the UE, as the UE can power down for periods of time, during which the UE may not use radio resources. While in the Idle state, the UE is not actively connected to the wireless network, although the wireless network is able to interact with the UE through paging mechanisms. Using a DRX mode while in the Connected state, the UE can be operating in a C-DRX mode.
LTE wireless systems can operate using a time division duplex (TDD) mode, which can be referred to as Long Term Evolution Time Division Duplex or LTE TDD. Within an LTE TDD wireless system, uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) data can be multiplexed according to a time division duplex (TDD) frame format. The structure of the LTE TDD frame format can include a sequence of uplink (UL) subframes, downlink (DL) subframes, and special subframes (SSF). LTE TDD specifications include a number of different uplink/downlink (UL/DL) subframe configurations that provide for different numbers of UL subframes, DL subframes, and special subframes in each LTE TDD frame. To ensure reliable service, existing LTE TDD solutions define a C-DRX warm-up period that is identical, having a fixed length, for all the different UL/DL subframe configurations. However, as the structure of the UL/DL subframe configuration can vary, and as channel conditions for the wireless communication channel between the UE and the wireless network can also vary, there is an opportunity to adapt the length of the C-DRX warm-up period rather than use a fixed length C-DRX warm-up period. Thus, it can be desirable to develop apparatus and methods that adapt the C-DRX warm-up period in order to reduce power consumption and improve performance of the UE when operating in a C-DRX mode connected to an LTE TDD wireless network.